q&A session IB STUDENTS with 2023 alumni 

In concert with the talk by the Kidman Centre, Frau Miehle and Miss Annie organised for two recent Alumni to come to talk to the entire IB Diploma cohort.

Stress is real! The Kidman Institute approached the issue from a clinical and therapeutic approach and much of the advice and information gained some traction with our students. Having said that, there is nothing like EXPERIENCE! Therefore, it would be wise to ask someone who has actually walked El Camino, run with bulls, launched off with Neil Armstrong and swum the 40kms of the English Channel about what it's really like.

Our Cohort of 2024 has just 226 days until 'it's heads down and minds up' in the most important examination that they will sit in 2024! With this in mind, the School invited Florian and Luca to sit down with the '24 and '25 cohorts to talk about their IB journey - the gore and the glory! Florian is off to study Medicine in Germany and Luca scored a plum Engineering spot at a university here in Sydney. They are poster boy, success stories of the benefits of studying the IB here at GISS. BUT - success is the roaring ovation that is only achieved when all the component parts of the orchestra have done their job.

Florian spoke of the art of breaking down work into small parts and avoiding the 'gut rock' sensation which happens when procrastination assumes epic proportions and, surprisingly, the academic ostrich approach fails dramatically. Luca warned of Pete, the Perfectionist Polisher who polished and polished and polished a valuable gold goblet which was to be a gift to the King. However, to Pete's horror, the King returned the goblet saying that it was no longer fit for purpose - the polishing had left holes and weak spots in the wall of the vessel and it could not hold water. But both former IB scholars agreed on the fact that balance and routine are the secrets to success.

Too much work at your desk can dull your brain so get out and: go for a run (not with the bulls), visit Grannie, pump iron, smash hoops, knit a sweater, grab a vanilla latte on oats with friends or pray the Rosary. Then return to your desk and to your study routine with renewed vigour. Plan the week with a healthy schedule of sweet and sour, bitter and sweet, Gaga and Swift!

Sebastian Percival